The present invention relates to roller skis. Roller skis are used by skiers in the non snow seasons, mainly for training by competitive cross country and Alpine skiers. Roller skis have a frame which supports the foot, generally with one wheel in front and one wheel in the back. Mounted to the frame is a ski binding for attaching the ski boot to the frame as shown in FIG. 1. Contemporary roller skis have wheels from about 65 to 150 mm in diameter and the foot supporting frames vary in length from about 450 to 700 mm.
Roller skis have been commercially available for over 35 years but, until the present invention, no one has offered a leg activated brake for conventional roller skis. Prior art includes hand activated brakes and using ski poles to stop the skis. Braking by a ski pole is unsafe and not effective. To brake with a hand activated brake is difficult without the skier loosing his balance and in an emergency the brake cannot be activated quickly enough as the skier has to reach, with his hand holding the ski pole, the brake pull handle which is generally attached to the skiers leg as depicted in FIG. 12.
In order for the skier to preserve balance the skier should have both hands on the ski poles and the body should be in a balanced ski position. For safety and rapid braking in an emergency situation, the brake should be able to be activated by the leg when the skier is in a stable position. This position is often referred to as the “Telemark” position and is shown in FIG. 11. In this position the braking leg acts a brace when slowing down preventing the skier from falling forward from the forces imposed on the body when braking. When roller skiing the leg positions shown in FIG. 11 are used when braking.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,768 describes a leg activated brake for roller skis, where the brake is an integral part of the foot platform and the roller ski design. U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,596 describes a foot activated brake for roller skis with two, side by side, wheels in the back, but the patent does not provide a method for the brake to be adjusted for different wheels, ski bindings, ski boots, roller ski frames and different users' anatomy. Because Pat. No. 4,033,596 did not provide solutions for these variables, no commercial leg activated brakes were produced for conventional roller skis prior to the invention described herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,704 describes another foot activated brake for roller skis but, as in Pat. No. 6,082,768, the brake is not suitable for mounting to conventional roller ski frames.